The Sun Sets in Singapore by Kehinde Fadipe

Author:Kehinde Fadipe [FADIPE, KEHINDE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Dara

Dara strode toward the conference room at the same time as Lani came out of his office. Simultaneously, they made their way down parallel aisles running alongside the secretaries’ desks, ignoring each other but headed in the same direction. She picked up her speed, almost losing her balance as she swerved around one of the partitions into the reception area.

“Mr. Erikawa, Mr. Sano.” She greeted them warmly as she pushed the glass door open. “It’s great to see you again.”

Both men bowed and she reciprocated before shaking their hands.

“Ian will be a little late,” she explained. “He’s just wrapping up a meeting with one of our global heads.”

“Ah.” Mr. Erikawa brightened, looking over her shoulder. “Mr. Lani.”

Dara watched with a tight smile as Lani bowed and greeted them in Japanese.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Lani grinned.

“The pleasure is ours,” Mr. Sano replied. “We have been looking forward to discussing the case since you arrived. Your emails have been very illuminating.”

“Shall we begin?” Dara was eager to start their final meeting before the preliminary hearing next week, but nobody heard her because Lani spoke at the same time, a long stream of Japanese rolling off his tongue.

“Eh!” Mr. Sano voiced the amazement on Mr. Erikawa’s face.

Lani laughed and spoke more Japanese, more confidently this time as he gestured in the direction of the sideboard where a large, steaming French press sat brewing.

“Excellent! This is excellent!” Mr. Erikawa actually clapped, reaching out to shake Lani’s hand again.

“Arigato.” Lani beamed, looking like he would blush if he could. “I’ve been taking lessons.”

“Amazing,” Dara said, deadpan.

“I took a couple of classes in Geneva, then found a place here. So, gentlemen.” Lani repeated the long sentence that had so impressed them.

Tickled, the men responded in Japanese, giving what Dara guessed correctly was their drinks preference.

“Two coffees—one black with sugar, one with milk, but no sugar?” Lani repeated carefully.

“Yes, yes, this is correct!”

The men tittered like a couple of geishas.

“I’ll get them,” Dara offered stiffly. “You make a start.”

She ignored his show of modest surprise and overturned the coffee cups. Letting him make the coffees while she steered the meeting wouldn’t come across well to the two men, no matter how modern clients liked to pretend they were.

“We thank you for your successful acquisition of the witness statement from Mr. Wachira, the clerk from the Local Housing Office in Nairobi. Do you think this will be a strong piece of evidence for the arbitrator?” Mr. Sano clasped his hands together, while his boss crossed one arm and held the other to his mouth.

“Thank you,” Lani replied. “It was a team effort, and it’s an excellent result. Mr. Wachira has agreed to testify that the chiefs in Kiambu enjoyed tax benefits only groups affiliated with an arm of the Kenyan government would enjoy, so the next stage is to prep him thoroughly for the tribunal. As a government official, a sworn affidavit from him will go a long way in convincing the panel that there has been a breach of contract, especially since he’s taking the risk of losing his job.

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